The league has already gone past the 60-day window for ruling on Josh Gordon’s reinstatement, and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said Wednesday he might still meet with the suspended Browns wide receiver in the next few weeks.
Via Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Goodell said there was no decision on Gordon’s case yet, and later clarified that he doesn’t even have a report from his staff yet or know whether he’ll sit with Gordon, whose year-long suspension was for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy.
“I’d rather wait until I sort of get a report and whether it’s appropriate to [meet with him],’' Goodell said. “I think it probably depends on the circumstances, and until I understand what’s in that report. ....but I might want to do that. I might choose to do that. . . .
“When I get more information we can decide what the next appropriate step is, whether it’s me meeting with him or whether they’ve already met with him individually or whether others have met with him. A lot of these [meetings] are also with other people outside our staff, who might be medical professionals. As soon as I get that information I’ll know better.”
While the Browns have said there’s a roster spot for the talented wideout once he’s reinstated, the reality is that the current Browns coaches have no background with him, and can’t invest much hope in his return until there’s a reinstatement. And since Goodell himself doesn’t know where that stands, it could be some time away.